Judson l



(No Model.)

- J. L. THOMSON 85 J. J. UNBEHEND.

SHOE, GLASP.

Patented-Mar. 3, 1885.

W N R a i TATES A'NT sures.

J UDSON L. THOMSON AND JACOB J. UNBEHEND, OF SYRACUSE, NEYV YORK; SAIDUNBEHEND ASSIGNOR TO SAID THOMSON.

SHOE-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,385, dated March 3,1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may canccrn:

Be itknown that we, J UDSON L. THOMSON and JACOB J. UNBEHEND, both ofSyracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Spring-Clasps, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of clasps which have a slotted plateinterlocking with a tongue hinged on another plate, and a springarranged to hold said tongue in position for engaging with the slottedplate and for retaining said plate interlocked with the tongue.

The object of this invention is to simplify the construction of theclasp, and thereby reduce the cost of manufacture, and at the same timeproduce a clasp of great efficiency and durability; and to that end theinvention consists, first, of a tongue connected to its supporting-plateby a duplex pintle; and, secondly, of a tongue provided with an eye ofangular or elongated form in cross-section, in combination with abase-plate having two pintles extending into the eye of the tongue, andheld normally apart to receive the impingement of the eye of the tonguewhen swinging said tongue back and forth on the base-plate, as

hereinafter more fully described, and specifically set forth in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a plan view showing the tongueof the clasp interlocked with the slotted plate. Fig. II is alongitudinal section of the same, with the slotted plate shown by dottedlines. Fig. III is a longitudinal section of the clasp,with the tongueraised from its supporting-platebr base-plate. Fig. IV is a plan View ofthe tongue and its base-plate or supporting-plate, showing the tongue inan open or distended position; and Fig. V is a detached plan View saidplate lies a spring-plate, O, which is either integral with or firmlyattached to the plate B, at the rear end thereof, and is provided at theopposite end with a supplemental pintle, a, which is held over thepintle a and normally apart from the same by the deflection of the freeend of the spring-plate from the base-plate, as shown in Fig. 11 of thedrawings. The tongue T is provided with a sleeve or eye, 6, whichembraces the two pintles a a, and is either of angular or elongated formin crosssection, and has its greatest diameter at such an angle to theplane of the tongue that when the tongue lies upon the base-plate B aline drawn across the greatest diameter of the eye 6 passes verticallythrough the two pintles a a, which are thus allowed to spring apart fromeach other, as shown in Fig. I[ of the drawings; hence the spring isunder the least strain when the tongue is closed or swung down upon thebase-plate, and inasmuch as this is the condition of the tongue when theclasp is in use it is obvious that both the spring and the pintles aregreatly relieved of wear and abrasion. Furthermore, by the employment oftwo pintles in lieu of a single pintle, as in other clasps, greaterstrength and durability are imparted to the clasp.

\Ve do not limit our invention to the specific arrangement of one pintleabove the other, inasmuch as the disposition of said pintles issusceptible of various modifications-as, for instance, by an upwarddeflection of the two plates B and O the two pintles become arranged oneback of the other, in which case the elongation of the eye 6 of thetongue would have to be in a direction at right angles to that of theelongation of said eye shown in the annexed drawings.

Our invention also materially reduces the cost of the manufacture of theclasp, inasmuch as the tongue, with its comparatively large eye 6, canbe easily formed out of sheet-iron, whereas heretofore the tongue wassubjected to so much strain as to require it to be formed of steel, andthe eye of the tongue was in some instances so small as to render itvery difficult to be formed of steel, and entailed great waste ofmaterial and labor, owing to the breakage of the plate in bending thesame.

In our improved clasp the spring and pintles are subjected to themaximum strain only when the tongue is raised and swung half-way intoits distended position, as shown in Fig. III of the drawings, and sincethe tongue is held in said position only momentarily it is obvione thatbut little strain is exerted on the spring and pintles.

What we claim is 1. The improved shoeclasp having the tongue connectedto its supporting-plate by a duplex pintle, one over the other, as setforth.

2. A spring-clasp comprising a base-plate carrying two pintles sustainedyieldingly one over the other and normally apart from each other, and atongue having an eye of angular or elongated form in cross-sectionembracing the two pintles.

3. In a spring-clasp, the combination of two plates lying one upon theother and united at one end, each at its free end carrying a pintle heldnormally apart one above the other, and a tongue having an eye ofangular or elongated form in cross-section embracing the two pintles, asset forth and shown.

4. The combination of the base-plate provided with a pintle, thespring-plate attached to the base-plate and carrying a supplementalpintle over the pintle of the base-plate and normally apart from thesame, and the tongue provided with an eye of angular or elongated formin cross-section and standing with its largest diameter nearly at rightangles to the plane of the tongue, substantially as shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names and affixed ourseals, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in thecounty of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 14th day of October,1884.

JUDSON L. THOMSON. n s. JACOB J. unnnnnnn. n s.

WVitness es:

FREDERICK H. GIBBS, O. BENDIXON.

